State Rep. Mike Turner gets light fine for campaign violations

Registry to hear complaint against governor in October

Aug. 22, 2013

State Rep. Mike Turner

Written by

Chas Sisk

The Tennessean

Lawmakers face fines The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance took up alleged violations by more than two dozen lawmakers on Wednesday. Here are some and the outcome.

Lawmaker

Allegation

Outcome

Former Rep. Tommie Brown

Failed to file final campaign disclosure

Failed to agree on penalty

Former Rep. Janis Sontany

Filed disclosure 28 days late

Fined $250

Rep. Joe Armstrong

Did not report seven donations totaling $3,900

Fined $50

Rep. Joe Carr

Did not report five donations totaling $2,650

Fine waived

Former Rep. Ty Cobb

Did not report three donations totaling $8,000

Fine waived

Rep. John Deberry

Did not report five donations totaling $2,200

Fine waived

Rep. Barry Doss

Did not report six donations totaling $2,900

Fine waived

Sen. Mark Green

Did not report three donations totaling $2,250

Fine waived

Rep. G.A. Hardaway

Did not report six donations totaling $2,800

Fined $50

Sen. Thelma Harper

Did not report four donations totaling $2,500

Fine waived

Rep. Andrew Holt

Did not report four donations totaling $1,750

Fine waived

Sen. Bill Ketron

Did not report eight donations totaling $6,100

Fine waived

Rep. Susan Lynn

Did not report four donations totaling $2,700

Deferred

Former Rep. Debra Maggart

Did not report four donations totaling $6,300

Deferred

Rep. Bo Mitchell

Did not report three donations totaling $11,250

Fine waived

Rep. Judd Matheny

Did not report seven donations totaling $2,850

Deferred

Rep. Antonio Parkinson

Did not report six donations totaling $2,750

Deferred

Rep. Courtney Rogers

Did not report seven donations totaling $2,750

Fine waived

Rep. John Tidwell

Did not report three donations totaling $4,650

Fine waived

Rep. Bill Sanderson

Did not report four donations totaling $1,200

Deferred

Rep. Mike Sparks

Did not report three donations totaling $1,850; received donations during legislative session

Deferred

Rep. Mike Stewart

Did not report eight donations totaling $5,000

Fine waived

Rep. Mike Turner

Did not report 22 donations totaling $22,625

Fined $250

More

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State Rep. Mike Turner, the House Democratic Caucus chairman, was fined $250 for failing to report 22 campaign contributions from political action committees last year, and the Registry of Election Finance set a date to take up a complaint against Gov. Bill Haslam at a meeting Wednesday.

Turner was given a light penalty despite a lengthy list of campaign violations. The Nashville lawmaker told the registry he was embarrassed by the mistakes, which he ascribed to a busy schedule running his own campaign and those of Democratic candidates across the state.

“If I ever do anything like this again, I won’t run again,” Turner said. “I deserve to be fined. I’m OK with that.”

The registry also agreed to add a complaint filed against Haslam by Chip Forrester, the former chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, to the agenda of its next meeting in October. Forrester claims that Haslam violated campaign finance laws by failing to report payments made to adviser Tom Ingram between his inauguration in January 2011 and Ingram’s hiring by his re-election campaign last month.

In other actions taken Wednesday, former Rep. Debra Maggart, a Hendersonville lawmaker who once chaired the House Republican Caucus, was asked to come before the registry in October to explain a contribution made last fall by her political action committee, Maintaining Our Majority PAC, to Hendersonville Alderman Paul Goode.

Donna De Sopo, a citizen-activist in Hendersonville, filed complaints against MOM PAC and Goode last month with the Sumner County District Attorney. The complaints alleged that a $1,000 gift to Goode broke state law because it was made within nine days of the general election.

The registry voted to move ahead with the complaint against MOM PAC but dismissed the one against Goode, determining he broke no laws by accepting the donation. The registry also dismissed a similar complaint made against Hendersonville Mayor Scott Foster for initially failing to disclose a $1,000 contribution from MOM PAC.

Maggart also faces potential penalties because she initially did not report four contributions totaling $6,300 to her re-election campaign.

Like Turner’s violations, the contributions were detected when the registry cross-checked Maggart’s filings against donors’ disclosures. An attorney for Maggart requested more time to prepare her response. The registry agreed to defer action until October.

At that meeting, the panel also will take up an alleged violation by state Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville.

Campfield faces a fine for listing a $1,000 “in-kind” contribution from former Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale on his most recent disclosure. Ragsdale does not support Campfield, but the firebrand Republican senator claims Ragdale’s $100 donation to Richard Briggs is worth 10 times as much to his re-election bid. Registry members were not amused. They voted unanimously to make Campfield appear before them.

“That lets him know that it ain’t funny,” Chairman Henry Fincher said. “It may be calculated, and he may want some publicity. Well, OK, come on.”